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Ex-Oakland University president getting nearly $300,000 in deferred salary

Oakland University's Board of Trustees has approved nearly $300,000 in deferred compensation and other benefits for former school President Gary Russi.

The Oakland Press of Pontiac and the Detroit Free Press report the approval was made Monday.

Russi announced his retirement in June on the same day his wife, Beckie Francis, was fired as the school's women's basketball coach. Oakland University said at the time that she was fired for behavior in April, but didn't release details.

Russi gets his monthly salary of $29,823 for June and July, as well as about $230,000 in deferred compensation.

The university also will fund two faculty positions in the School of Health Sciences, each at a $250,000 value, and call them the "Gary D. Russi Distinguished Professorship."